Paul Stephenson (civil rights campaigner)
| Paul Stephenson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
6 May 1937 Rochford, Essex, England |
| Residence | Bristol |
| Occupation | Community worker |
| Known for | Civil Rights activism, community relations |
Paul Stephenson OBE (born 6 May 1937), is a community worker, activist and long-time campaigner for civil rights for the British African-Caribbean community in Bristol, England.
As a young social worker, in 1963 Stephenson led a boycott of the Bristol Omnibus Company, protesting against its refusal to employ Black or Asian drivers or conductors. After a 60-day boycott supported by thousands of Bristolians, the company revoked its colour bar in August. In 1964 Stephenson achieved national fame when he refused to leave a public house until he was served, resulting in a trial on a charge of failing to leave a licensed premises. His campaigns were instrumental in paving the way for the first Race Relations Act, in 1965. Stephenson is a Freeman of the City of Bristol and was awarded an OBE in 2009.
Stephenson was born in 1937 to a West African father and a British mother. His maternal grandmother Edie Johnson was a well known actress in the 1920s. He received his secondary education at Forest Gate Secondary School in London, where he was the only black child in the school. Service in the Royal Air Force followed from 1953 to 1960. Stephenson gained a Diploma in Youth and Community Work from University College Birmingham in 1962 and then moved to Bristol to work as a youth officer for Bristol City Council.
In January 1955 the Passenger group, that is the section representing those working in Passenger Transport, of the local branch of the Transport and General Workers Union had passed a resolution that "coloured workers should not be employed as bus crews" by the Bristol Omnibus Company. The Bristol Evening Post ran a series of articles in 1961 exposing this colour bar. The union publicly denied the bar, but the company general manager, Ian Petey, did admit it. He attempted to justify the company policy by stating in a meeting with the city's Joint Transport Committee that he "had 'factual evidence' that the introduction of coloured crews in other cities downgraded the job, causing existing (white) staff to go elsewhere."
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